Hemorrhoids Q & A

What are hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids are inflamed and enlarged veins in your rectum and anus. You can develop internal hemorrhoids (inside your rectum), external hemorrhoids (in the skin surrounding your anal opening), or both. If a hemorrhoid moves outside the anal opening, it’s called a prolapsed hemorrhoid.

What caused my hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids can develop when there’s too much pressure in your rectum. Many things can cause this, including:

  • Pregnancy 
  • Chronic constipation
  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Diet that’s too low in fiber
  • Obesity
  • Anal intercourse
  • Frequent heavy lifting

In many cases, you can prevent hemorrhoids with our help. If you’re dealing with hemorrhoid symptoms now, our team can diagnose and treat you promptly.

What are the signs that I have hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoid symptoms are usually most obvious after bowel movements but can happen at any time. Common hemorrhoid symptoms include one or more of the following issues around your anal entrance:

  • Pain or soreness
  • Itchiness
  • Swelling
  • Bumps or lumps
  • Bleeding

These symptoms warrant further attention.

Lifestyle changes

Often, some lifestyle changes like eating more fiber (or adding fiber supplements), taking extra care to clean the anus properly, applying ointment regularly, and Epsom salt baths relieve hemorrhoid symptoms. 

Minimally invasive procedures

In some cases, you might need minimally invasive procedures like rubber band ligation, which ties your hemorrhoids off to stop their blood supply.

Hemorrhoid surgery

It’s quite rare to need surgery for hemorrhoids. But, if lifestyle changes and minimally invasive procedures don’t work for you, Dr. Saslow can refer you to specialists for further management. 

Additional Hemorrhoids FAQs
Hemorrhoids are engorged veins that may extend from the junction of the rectum and interior anus through the anal canal to the external anus.  Hemorrhoids are a common finding, and when small they fall within the context of a normal examination.  While they frequently cause symptoms of minor bleeding, pressure discomfort, itching and protrusion of tissue during or following a bowel movement, they may cause no symptoms at all.  Minor hemorrhoidal symptoms may improve with a concerted effort to take in additional dietary fiber.  A good product is Kellogg’s All-Bran Bran Buds cereal.  In many cases additional treatments are helpful.  Surgery (hemorrhoidectomy) is generally reserved only for the most severe cases which cannot be managed with simpler means.
HemorrhoidsSource: Wikipedia

CRH O’Regan System hemorrhoid banding 

In June 2011 we added this new and improved form of band ligation to the options for hemorrhoid care available at Digestive Health. This cost effective treatment is a “kinder and gentler” form of band ligation that is available both in our clinic and during procedures performed at the Southwest Endoscopy Center. CRH O’Regan System ligation requires no sedation or special bowel preparation. Most individuals are treated with a single band placement at each visit, returning for second and third treatments at about 2 week intervals. This strategy allows maximal treatment benefit while minimizing risk for pain and treatment-related complications.

The CRH O’Regan System utilizes a non-surgical, patented device that is:
   – fast (as little as 60 seconds)
   – painless (return to work the same day)
   – proven
   – easy (no anesthesia, fasting or other prep)
   – covered by most insurance plans
The video linked here is provided courtesy of the CRH Medical Corporation.
Read about the CRH O’Regan System treatment

Follow-up care after CRH O’Regan banding
Patient drug information:  Nitroglycerin ointment
Patient recommendations for fiber intake

The comparative chart below is provided courtesy of the CRH Medical Corporation.  Click on the chart to leave the Digestive Health website and go to the CRH O’Regan site for additional information.
I think I have hemorrhoids.  Can they be treated at the time of my colonoscopy?
Yes — we can perform band ligation while you are sedated during your colonoscopy or in the office setting at Digestive Health (in office without a colon prep, without sedation, and usually without pain)
Band ligation – from “conventional” ligation to CRH O’Regan ligation system (see below)Hemorrhoidal band ligation can be easily performed at the completion of a colonoscopy.  Banding is also easily performed in the office.  Office-based banding does not require bowel cleansing or enemas, or sedation.  The provider uses a device known as a ligator inside the rectum (above the border of sensitive anal canal skin) to suction the loose tissue at the base of the hemorrhoid into a small cup around which a tiny rubber band is placed, leaving a small firm ball of tissue about the size of a blueberry.  With conventional banding techniques including those using devices that attach to flexible endoscopes and devices used through an anoscope (now used infrequently at Digestive Health), up to three bands may be placed during a treatment session.  While the performance of conventional banding itself is painless under sedation, it is not unusual for patients to awaken with an aching anorectal discomfort.  Usually this subsides over the course of an hour or so, but occasionally it will require treatment with sitzbaths and medication for a day or more.  In contrast, CRH O’Regan system banding (see below) is generally painless or associated with only minimal transient post procedure discomfort whether or not sedation has been administered.
   
The healing process involves clot formation (thrombosis) in the affected hemorrhoid and sloughing of the banded tissue over the course of a week or so.  While this is often a painless process, in some cases pain, protrusion of the thrombosed hemorrhoids and bleeding can be significant problems.  Rare but potentially life-threatening infections have been reported after banding, so it is important to keep your us informed if you are having any persistent or worsening symptom such as pain, particularly in the presence of fever or chills, after this treatment.  Band ligation may be safely repeated, and multiple treatment sessions are often needed to achieve maximal benefit.
At our endoscopy facility and clinic conventional hemorrhoidal banding has been largely replaced by CRH O’Regan banding, a procedure we have found to be much better tolerated.  
CRH O’Regan banding (see below) is rarely associated with significant pain or serious complications.   Most patients need 3 band placements to achieve an optimal outcome.  The first placement can be performed at the completion of your colonoscopy.  Additional band placements are typically performed at 2-3 week intervals in our outpatient clinic.  No preparation, cleansing or sedation is needed for these follow up visits.
Infrared coagulation (IRC)
IRC uses an infrared light source to heat (photocoagulate) pea-sized dots of skin in the rectum just above the hemorrhoid.  Typically, 6-12 coagulations are performed in a session, moving around the circumference of the lower rectum.  This treatment is painless when performed under sedation immediately following the completion of your colonoscopy.  Recovery is usually immediate.  A mild aching discomfort occasionally follows treatment for up to an hour.  As the healing process begins to occur in the days following treatment some minor bleeding is typical, as the coagulated tissue begins to slough. This treatment works in part because the healing process leads to beneficial scar tissue formation which “tacks” the loose hemorrhoidal tissues to the underlying rectal wall and reduces blood flow into the remaining hemorrhoidal channels.  IRC rarely leads to significant complications but multiple treatments are often necessary to achieve maximal benefit.  IRC in our experience is less effective than band ligation and its use in our practice has been largely replaced by the use of CRH O’Regan band ligation.
If you are experiencing hemorrhoidal symptoms and want your gastroenterologist to consider performing one of these treatments please discuss this with us before your procedure.

Hemorrhoid Treatment Aftercare for infrared coagulation and conventional band ligation*CRH O’Regan band ligation